The Monetary Authority of Singapore published the joint statement from the 13th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, outlining agreed priorities and endorsed workstreams to deepen ASEAN financial integration, strengthen regional financial resilience, and advance digital and sustainable finance cooperation. Key outcomes included endorsement of the ASEAN Finance Sectoral Plan 2026-2030 and the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework (ABIF) Guidelines 2.0, alongside support for governance streamlining of the ASEAN Finance Track under Project Revive. The statement reported an upgraded regional growth estimate of around 4.5 per cent for 2025, inward foreign direct investment of over USD 230 billion in 2024, and 147 million visitor arrivals in 2025, while flagging geopolitical and trade-related risks. On financial resilience, ASEAN central bank governors welcomed the re-establishment of the ASEAN Swap Arrangement to provide short-term foreign exchange liquidity for balance of payments difficulties, and members noted refinements to capital account liberalisation monitoring and ongoing work on local currency transactions. On digital finance, ASEAN cited 29 QR and person-to-person instant payment linkages as of December 2025, with 2025 transaction volumes of 36.2 million QR payments (USD 716.4 million) and 1.6 million person-to-person transfers (USD 305.7 million), and welcomed publication of the ASEAN Digital Financial Literacy Core Competency Framework in February 2026. Sustainable finance updates included consultation on ASEAN Taxonomy Version 4, progress on ASEAN voluntary carbon market guidance, and work towards a Code of Conduct for External Review Providers and the first version of the mitigation co-benefit and Adaptation for Resilience guide. Next steps referenced in the statement include implementation of Project Revive governance recommendations in 2027, completion of a regulatory comparison dashboard to support regional payments connectivity, and follow-on deliverables such as the planned release of additional sustainable finance guidance. Other dated milestones included Viet Nam’s implementation of the ASEAN Authorised Economic Operator Mutual Recognition Arrangement in June 2026 and a pilot of the railway mode in the ASEAN Customs Transit System by end-2026.
Monetary Authority of Singapore 2026-04-10
Monetary Authority of Singapore publishes ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors’ statement endorsing the Finance Sectoral Plan 2026-2030 and ABIF Guidelines 2.0
The Monetary Authority of Singapore published the joint statement from the 13th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, which set priorities to deepen ASEAN financial integration, strengthen regional resilience, and advance digital and sustainable finance. Key outcomes included endorsement of the ASEAN Finance Sectoral Plan 2026-2030, ASEAN Banking Integration Framework Guidelines 2.0, and the re-establishment of the ASEAN Swap Arrangement, alongside updates on cross-border QR and instant payment linkages and ongoing work on ASEAN Taxonomy Version 4 and related sustainable finance guidance.